Job Description
About the Organization
La Raza CentroLegal, San Francisco is a non-profit community legal aid office that provides legal representation and counsel to low-income community members and immigrants in San Francisco, San Mateo County, and the Bay Area region. We assist those in need with free legal services in Immigration law, Elder and Disability law, and Workers’ Rights.
Position Overview
La Raza seeks a temporary legal director for a fixed term of approximately 8 months in the Immigration Removal Defense Program to cover for the permanent Director while she is on maternity leave.
The practice of immigration removal defense has become almost unrecognizable from a year and a half ago as the federal government has sought to dismantle the immigration courts.
Traditional removal defense tools are no longer effective in light of government policies such as eliminating the administrative closure regulations, pretermitting asylum applications under Matter of H-A-A-V- and Asylum Cooperative Agreements, and removing people to third countries who had already been granted protection. LRCL seeks a dynamic leader who understands the scale of what we are up against, innovates to respond to a hostile legal and enforcement environment, and who has the vision to engage in new approaches to safeguard immigrants’ statutory and constitutional rights. The Immigration Removal Defense Program Legal Director will identify and implement new strategies that will place LRCL on the front line of removal defense. They will also work closely with LRCL’s federal immigration litigation practice to find opportunities for federal court intervention when appropriate. This position reports to the Executive Director.
Coordinate the day-to-day operations of the Immigration Removal Defense Program and La Raza Centro Legal as a member of leadership committee:
- Coordinate weekly program meetings
- Serve as point person for day-to-day operation issues as they arise
- Facilitate the recruitment of volunteers, interns, and externs
- Coordinate strategic planning efforts of program, with guidance from the ED and agency organizational consultant
- Meet regularly with the ED to discuss program needs, strategy, and areas where supervision is needed
- Ensure that work of the program is consistent with the agency mission
- Meet regularly with leadership committee as directed by ED in order to discuss and make decisions
- Ensure that all grant reporting for the program is accurately and timely submitted
- Assist the Executive Director in grant applications and program-wide compliance, such as CA Bar IOLTA reporting
- Occasionally take a leading role in preparing grant applications, especially renewals of the program’s existing grants
Facilitates the implementation of program systems:
- Coordinate the implementation of case management systems
- Coordinate the implementation of program donation system
- Update existing intake forms as necessary
- Coordinate the availability of necessary library, software, or other training materials
Coordinate the collaborative efforts and communication with other programs within the agency, other agencies(especially agencies in SFILDC collaborative), immigration service providers, and immigrant rights organizing efforts:
- Collaborate on strategic litigation, including identifying issues impacting clients that may be appropriate for federal litigation and referring clients
- Draft amicus briefs in cases of significance to the program’s clients
- Submit public comment on proposed regulations
- Meet regularly with other immigration service providers in the area including CARECEN, International Institute, ILRC, LCCR, and other SFILDC agencies to develop positive and healthy inter-agency communication, training, and collaboration
- Participate in SFILDC sponsored events
- Coordinate with other agencies in developing approaches to media, funders, and the community regarding important immigration issues
- Create and maintain pro bono relationships with law firms
- Serve as liaison and communication contact for program
Facilitate the media visibility of the program work:
- Serve as point person for media inquires regarding immigration legal issues
- Maintain up to date website content
- Work with program members, across programs, and with other agencies to develop messaging content regarding immigration law issues
- Assist with agency fundraising for the program
- Attend meetings with funders
- Lead grant reporting requirements
- Ensure that program follows through with commitments made to funders
Facilitate mentorship, skills-building, training, organizing opportunities and morale-building opportunities for program staff members:
- Oversee a team of staff members
- Facilitate orientation of new staff members and interns to the program
- Identify skills-building and training opportunities for program members
- Identify and encourage morale-building opportunities for program staff members
- Identify and encourage organizing opportunities for program members
- Provide overall support and mentorship to program members and encourage support and mentorship within the program
Community Building:
- Network with immigrant members of the community, former clients, and other advocates
- Engage in leadership development and advocacy with client/community participation and leadership
- Conduct immigration law information sessions for the immigrant community, media, and service providers
- Develop informational materials on immigration law
Provide Legal Guidance:
- Serve as a point person for obtaining information and legal advice regarding immigration law for immigration program staff, other staff, other agencies, volunteers, and interns
- Review casework requiring legal opinion or oversight within the program
- Mentor staff attorneys who are filing BIA Appeals and Ninth Circuit Petitions for Review for the first time
- Stay abreast of changes in immigration law
Manage individual caseload:
- Represent individuals in removal proceedings before the immigration court, BIA, and Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. This may include writing motions and briefs; preparing applications for cancellation of removal, adjustment of status, asylum, NACARA, derivation of citizenship, U Visas, T Visas, DACA, TPS, among others; ensuring that legal work is consistent with SFILDC needs and agency mission
- Cover rapid response shifts
Agency-Wide Responsibilities:
- Attend regularly scheduled staff meetings
- Attend agency-wide staff retreat
- Attend board meetings as required
- Participate in leadership committee meetings
- Participate in organizing the community
- Participate in committees as needed
- Represent the agency to the community at community meetings, public events, and other forums